South Sudan: Nutrition Program Manager

BACKGROUND:

IRC began working in South Sudan in 1989. South Sudan declared independence in July 2011 following decades of brutal civil war rooted in disputes over religion, g operational challenges abound. IRC-South Sudan operates a country office in Juba, field offices in Lakes ethnicity, resources, governance and self-determination. The security situation remains fragile and testing, Unity, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria states. Currently, IRC South Sudan implements programs in primary health care, community case management, environmental health, women's protection and empowerment, protection and access to justice and livelihoods

JOB OVERVIEW:

The Nutrition Manager will be the focal point for all child health activities for Nutrition of Aweil East County in NBG areas of operation. The Manager will ensure quality program implementation, in accordance with national and international standards. S/he will identify and address gaps in Nutrition services and will provide technical oversight to the Nutrition deputy Manager, Nutrition officers, field based staff of Nutrition field-based front line staff in the area of CMAM and IYCF, with an emphasis on coaching national staff to build their capacity. S/he will be responsible for regular reports and contact with local partners, including the State Ministry of Health, UN agencies and other NGOs.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES :

Ensure that the Nutrition and Community Case Management program is properly implemented, monitored and evaluated through: Program implementation and development

Specific roles:

• Provide technical supervision of, and technical support to IRC Nutrition programming activities
• Ensure that nutrition programs utilize standardized protocols, policies and guidelines, as prescribed by the Ministry of Health and WHO/UNICEF.
• Ensure that all nutrition activities are consistent with established best practices
• Oversee the collection and timely reporting of data and statistics for all nutrition programs in line with IRC guidelines and according to internal and donor requirements
• Ensure appropriate follow-up and decision-making on data relevant to IRC nutrition programs

• Ensure a good coordination with the CCM Managers and iCCM teams

• Ensure all other stakeholders, including IRC Deputy Director Programs (DDP), IRC iCCM Coordinator, IRC health technical unit, UNICEF, DFID and all donors are provided with updates, following the established reporting structures

• Design, lead and support capacity building initiatives for nutrition teams at field levels focused on improving quality of care, monitoring services, as well as strengthening skills and knowledge related to nutrition services delivered at the community level

• Monitor evolving needs of the target communities and adjust the programmatic priorities as necessary

• In collaboration with the Nutrition Coordinator, the MCH Coordinator and the DDP, lead the overall development of an overall IRC Nutrition Program strategy in line with IRC South Sudan Country Strategic Planning

• Identify opportunities for program development

• Lead technical nutrition assessments as a basis for nutrition program development when necessary

Strategic Planning

• Monitor evolving needs of the target communities and adjust the programmatic priorities as necessary in collaboration with program teams in Panyijar County.
• Contribute technical inputs to program reports and proposals.
• Identify opportunities for program development; lead technical assessments as a basis for iCCM nutrition program development when necessary in the state.
• Work closely with the Nutrition Coordinator and Maternal Child Health to develop a comprehensive, holistic, and integrated iCCM- Nutrition strategy that aligns with IRC's South Sudan Country Strategic Action Plan and the MOH's community health policies and strategies at state level.

Coordination and Representation

• Plan and coordinate IRC South Sudan Nutrition interventions
• Ensure Collaboration between Nutrition with the iCCM/Health team to ensure a holistic approach in line with IRC's Program Framework principles
• Represent IRC to UN, international and national NGOs, and Ministries of Health, for nutrition coordination as needed
• Oversee implementation of funding, including budget forecasting, development of spending plans in cooperation with the Nutrition Coordinator and Grants Manager
• Represent IRC to donor agencies, with respect to Nutrition programming, as designated by Field Coordinator and the Nutrition Coordinator
• Maintain regular contact with all partners, including the State Ministry of Health, UN agencies and other NGOs.
• Conduct regular meetings with Nutrition program staff as well as other key programs and operations staff to discuss program progress and challenges
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders - including community leaders, NGOs, UN agencies, community based organizations and other IRC sectors to enhance cooperation and coordination.
• Represent the IRC in all relevant humanitarian coordination meetings, ensuring that IRC efforts and resources are engaged in a planned and well-coordinated manner.
• Ensure that the humanitarian community is aware of IRC's Nutrition activities and advocate for follow-on actions by other agencies as needed;
• Actively participate in coordination mechanism with network partners and host community to ensure information sharing, coordination of interventions and enable meaningful participation of host communities.
• Liaise with partners, particularly through the Health cluster/working group/coordination mechanism, to share findings and any issues of relevance and/or concern related to the community case management projects.

Budgeting and Grants Management

• Prepare and implement detailed Nutrition program spending, procurement and work plans
• Contribute to quality program reports, consistent with both IRC and donor requirements
• Participate in proposal writing and budget development processes
• Participate in Grants Opening, Mid-Term and Closing meetings.
• Prepare internal and external reports within agreed deadlines using IRC and donor formats, as required.
• Assure appropriate and timely spending of grants to achieve program goals, grant reporting contributions, use and distribution of supplies and resources.
• Prepare a monthly report for the Nutrition Coordinator and copy Field coordinator.
• Ensuring effective implementation of M&E systems throughout the lifetime of the project in collaboration with and supported by the Nutrition coordinator.
• Manage the project budget; oversee all budget expenditures and ensure they are allowable and allocable according to IRC and donor regulations; review monthly Budget vs. Actual and expenditure sheets and collaborate with the Finance department to ensure accurate expenditures and reporting.

Human Resources and staff management

• Directly supervise Deputy Nutrition Manager and indirectly supervise the Nutrition officers, Nutrition Supervisors and the Nutrition Workers.
• Conduct on the job training for the Deputy Manager, Nutrition officer and supervisors.
• Identify potential national staff for external & internal trainings
• Develop JDs and facilitate recruitment of national staff in cooperation with the Nutrition Coordinator and Human Resources department
• Ensure the identification and subsequent evaluation of Performance Objectives are for all Nutrition staff
• Maintain updated job descriptions, conduct interviews, orient new staff to the IRC program.
• Supervise the project team directly, providing ongoing leadership to the team and oversee implementation and coordination of activity plans to ensure targets are met.
• Overall responsibility for health team's timesheets, work plans, vacation schedules, and staff training/development activities.
• Ensure Performance Management System documentation for all staff is in place and followed up regularly.
• Build staff capacity in work plan development and reporting to ensure accurate monitoring and documentation of activities.
• Recommend and implement a capacity building/development plan for project staff based on documented capacity needs assessments exercise.
• Ensure project staff understands and follows IRC and donor Policies and Procedures.
• Develop and maintain an effective orientation package, and ensures that new staff members are appropriately orientated on health protocols and guidelines in a timely manner.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and support to the Nutrition team through regular supervision and feedback on performance.
• Build the capacity of the Nutrition staff to improve their range of capabilities related to the Nutrition program and its activities.
• Ensure the ongoing capacity building of national Nutrition staff through support to direct supervises in ensuring staff performance evaluations and individual development plans
• Ensure appropriate support to the program through regular visits across the project area and replacement of staff if needed

Systems Compliance and Improvement: -

• IRC-Southern Sudan specific finance, logistics, IT, security, communications and human resource/administration policies and procedures.
• Any new procedures and guidelines designated in circulars from Country Director and DDO.

Policy compliance - Mandatory Reporting Policy (MRP): -

• Ensure any violations of the IRC Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Code of Conduct are reported to the CD. The reporting of violations is an obligation on the part of all staff members.
• Assist where necessary in undertaking activities that aim to prevent the occurrence of sexual abuse and exploitation of beneficiaries by IRC and other humanitarian workers.

Confidentiality: -

• Ensuring the non disclosure of any information whatsoever relating to the practices and business of IRC acquired in the course of duty, to any other person or organization without authority, except in the normal execution of duty.

RELATIONSHIPS:

• Position Reports to: Field Coordinator Position directly supervises: Nutrition national team
• Indirect Reporting: this position has a dotted "support" line to Nutrition Coordinator for Nutrition Other Internal contacts: Other Program Coordinators, operation department heads and Program Managers
• External contacts: Relevant other stakeholders e.g. UN bodies, local and national government authorities such as CHDs, SMoH etc.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Health professional (MD, RN, PA or CO) or qualifications relevant to the job with strong public health background
• Nutrition professional with a relative degree in Nutrition or Public Health Nutrition and significant experience in nutrition in emergencies
• At least two years professional experience in nutrition IMAM (CMAM) programs
• At least 2 years' experience in coordinating, implementing and managing health programs in developing countries and/or refugee settings. Experience in grant management and report writing is preferred
• Ability to validate and interpret health data
• Demonstrated ability to support and build staff capacity.
• Fluent in English; familiarity with other languages spoken in South Sudan an advantage
• Excellent computer skills and competency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to determine priorities and meet multiple deadlines
• Detail-oriented with good multi-tasking abilities and communication skills, both oral and written
• Able to work well both within a team and independently, in a challenging and fast-moving multicultural environment.

· Demonstrated experience conducting SQUEAC surveys required; experience conducting SMART nutrition surveys preferred

· Previous experience with operational research preferred

· Previous experience working with rural populations preferred.

· Experience in emergencies and/or in unstable security environments preferred; previous work experience in South Sudan a plus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Security level: orange. The situation overall seems calm but remains tense and unpredictable; concerns include criminality, presence of armed troops, communal violence, and looting

HOUSING:

Housing in IRC compounds with common latrines and showers and living area. All IRC sites have electricity and internet at least several hours per day. Food is the individual's responsibility but cooks are provided for and all laundry services in the fields are provided by the IRC field offices

Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=YXN0cmlkLm1hdGhldy45MzA5NS4zODMwQGlyYy5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20